Electric iron handgrip



Sept. 11, 1945., 1-. F. SAFFADY ELECTRIC IRON HAND GRIP Filed Dec. 6,1943 I QKINVENTOR:

- DWI I I I add Patented Sept. 11, 1945' umrso STATES rarem ors cs I g g,384,642; I ELECTRlC IRON v I Thomas F. Saffady,'Detroih lMich.Application December e, 1943; serial No. 513,04.6

" (01.38%9lll 3 Claims.

This application relat'es'to electric irons, and more" particularly tohand grips of such devices. Electric irons as presently constructed'havea rigid "or. fixedhand grip. As the .iron is moved back and forthby theuser, relative motion takes place between the hand grip and the skin ofthe gripping hand of the user. This relative motion, in many instances,causes discomfort, blisters, and callouses. It is proposed by thepresent invention to make the hand grip freely revolvable with respectto the iron so that it need not move with respect to the skin of thehand of the user, and it is further proposed to provide quicklymanipulable means for latching the hand grip against rotation withrespect to the iron, or for releasing the hand grip to be freelyrotatable with respect to the iron and thus to be fixed with respect tothe skin of the hand of the user.

The invention has'been embodied in the device disclosed in the attacheddrawing.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is aside view.

Fig. 2 is an end view showing the device with the hand grip latchedagainst rotation.

Fig. 3 is a similar view but showing the hand grip unlatched and freefor rotation.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section view of the handgrip construction.

Figs. 5 and 6 are section views as if on lines 55 and 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is an edge view, on line of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 3.

An electric iron is shown at 3. It has the usual connector prongs 4 anda U shaped metal springy bracket 5 between which is a hand grip 6 formedof any suitable heat insulating material, such as wood or a moldedplastic.

The hand grip is hollow to receive a rod 1 which connects the ends ofthe bracket 5 and has its own end headed over as shown at 8 to form apermanent fastening and support for the hand grip whose bore 9 issufliciently larger than the rod 1 so as to be freely rotatable thereon,except when latched against rotation by means about to be described.

The latching means includes a manipulable latching disc l0 formed withexposed and accessible wings H and I2, each of which has an insulatingbutton l3 thereon, so that the wings may be pressed down selectively forlatching or for releasing the hand grip by the thumb or forefinger ofthe hand of the user, which grips the hand grip 6.

The parts are so designed that with the right hand of the user grippingthe hand grip 6, the

wing l I' may be pressed down from the position of Fig. 3to the positionof Fig. 2 to latch the hand grip against rotation and the wing l2 may bepressed down by the forefinger from the position of Fig. :2'to theposition of Fig. 3 to' free the hand grip for rotation.

The end-of the hand'grip'near the disc I0 is counterbored, as shown "at20, to receive and seat a spring 2| pressing against a clutch disc 22,formed with clutch teeth 23, adapted to register with teeth 24 formed onthe wall 25 of the hand The disc in is formed with knobs 21 adapted toregister with holes 28 in the bracket 5 and also has a pin 29 seating inan arcuate slot 30 of the bracket 5. I

The operation is as follows:

When the hand grip is locked as shown in Fig. 2 with the wing II havingbeen pressed down by the right hand thumb, knobs 21 of the locking discare out of register with the holes 28 of the bracket and consequentlythe disc l0 holds the clutch disc 22 against the hand grip surface 25 sothat the teeth 23 of the clutch disc register with the teeth 24 of thehand grip to lock the hand grip to the clutch disc. Since the latter hasa squared hole 32 through which the squared end 33 of the rod 1 passes,whereby the clutch disc 22 is non-rotatable with respect to the rod, thelocking of the hand grip to the clutch disc, makes the hand gripnon-rotatable with respect to the rod 1.

When the wing I2 is pressed down by the right hand forefinger, the knobs21 register with the holes 28 of the bracket and this frees the lockingdisc Ill and the clutch disc 22 to be moved to the left by the spring 2|so as to unlock the hand grip from the clutch disc and this frees thehand grip to rotate with respect to the rod I.

The stop 29 in the arcuate slot 30 limits rotation of the locking discIn to the positions of Figs. 2 and 3.

The iron shown has been designed to lock the hand grip by the thumb ofthe right hand of the user and to free it by the forefinger of the righthand of the user. It may, however, be designed for a left handed personin which case the locking disc will be so formed that thumb pressure ofthe left hand will lock the hand grip and forefinger pressure of theleft hand will release it.

Now having described the locking device herein disclosed, referenceshould be had to the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In an electric iron, a base, uprights fixed to the base, and a handgrip bridging the uprights and rotatably mounted on and between them, torotate on an axis parallel to the base, means positively preventingremoval of said hand grip from said uprights, and quickly manipulablemeans for releasably latching the hand grip against rtation with respectto the uprights, said manipulable means being quickly movable toinoperative position wherein it permits rotation of the hand grip withrespect to the uprights, or into operative position wherein it preventsrotation of the hand grip with respect to the uprights.

2. In an electric iron, a base, uprights fixed to the base, and a handgrip bridging the uprights and rotatably mounted on and between them, torotate on an axis parallel to the base, means positively preventingremoval of said hand grip from said uprights, and quickly manipulablemeans for releasably latching the hand grip against rotation withrespect to the uprights, said manipulable means being quickly movable toinoperative position wherein it permits rotation of the hand grip withrespect to the uprights, or into operative position wherein it preventsrotation of the hand grip with respect to the uprights, said manipulablemeans being positioned at the forward end of the hand grip, in positionto be manipulated by the thumb or forefinger, or both, of a hand on thehand grip.

3. In an electric iron, a base, uprights fixed to the base, and a handgrip bridging the uprights and rotatably mounted on and between them, torotate on an axis parallel to the base, means positively preventingremoval of said hand grip from said uprights, and quickly manipulablemeans for releasably latching the hand grip against rotation withrespect to the uprights, said manipulable means being quickly movable toinoperative position wherein it permits rotation of the hand grip withrespect to the uprights,'or into operative position wherein it preventsrotation of the hand grip with respect to the uprights, said manipulablemeans being positioned at the forward end of the hand grip, in positionto be manipulated by the thumb or forefinger, or both, of a hand onTHOMAS F. SAF'FADY;

